(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an installation for casting liquid metal, notably a continuous casting installation.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A casting installation for transferring liquid metal, notably liquid steel, is already known in the prior art and comprises a ladle of liquid metal downstream of which there is arranged a ladle shroud which is a cylinder of revolution. This shroud comprises an upper end in contact with a casting element secured to the ladle and a lower end submerged in a tundish. A canal extending essentially along an axis, placed vertically when the tube is introduced into the installation, is formed in the shroud.
One method of casting is performed as follows using the casting installation: the ladle is positioned over the tundish, and the shroud is fitted to the ladle. The casting operations are then performed, then the shroud is detached from the ladle. Next, the ladle is moved so that it leaves free space above the tundish. Another ladle then arrives to take the place of the first one. The ladle shroud can be reused and, to do this, it is secured to another ladle. The shroud is placed in any arbitrary angular orientation with respect to each ladle.
In this method, despite the fact that the shroud is reused, the life of this shroud is not very long given the extreme conditions under which it is positioned (high temperature, substantial temperature variations, etc.). Thus, one single shroud can be used only a limited number of times.